President Donald Trump is expected to name former drug industry executive Alex Azar to lead the U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services, according to people familiar with thematter.

Azar, who worked at Eli Lilly & Co.,would be the administration’s point person on running -- ordismantling -- Obamacare, the health program enacted by Trump’spredecessor that insures millions of Americans. He will alsooversee Medicare and Medicaid, along with dozens of public healthprograms and sub-agencies. Trump is in Asia for an extended tripand could still change his mind before a replacement is officiallynamed.

At Lilly, Azar ran U.S. operations. Trump has been highlycritical of the drug industry, saying that companies are “gettingaway with murder” and threatening to use the federal government’sbuying power to bring down prices. However, he’s taken no concreteaction yet to do so.

Azar left Lilly in January, several months after another seniorexecutive was named to succeed then-CEO John Lechleiter.

Before spending a decade in Indianapolis-based Lilly’s executiveranks, Azar was a deputy secretary under former George W.Bush’s HHS secretary Michael Leavitt. A lawyer by training, Azarpreviously clerked for Antonin Scalia on the SupremeCourt.

Azar takes over after Trump’s first HHS secretary, Tom Price, resigned in September after hisextensive use of private and military jets attaxpayer expense was revealed. Azar, 50, must be approved by theSenate.

Azar has been an advocate for more state flexibility underObamacare, something Republicans have pushed for in their effortsto repeal it, as well as in a seemingly stalled bipartisan bill tofund insurer subsidies that help Americans afford health costs. Assecretary, Azar would have broad authority over many aspects of theprogram.

“I’m not one to say many good things about Obamacare, but one ofthe nice things in it is it does give a tremendous amount authorityto the secretary of HHS,” Azar said during an interview withBloomberg TV in June. “There are still changes that can be made tomake it work a little better than it has been.”

The Trump administration has slashed funding for advertisingObamacare and cut the budgets of “navigators” who help peopleenrolling in plans understand their options. Open enrollment isunder way now and runs through Dec. 15.

The administration also released rules in October that letemployers opt out of providing plans that cover birth control,weakening an Obamacare requirement as part of a wider push toexpand religious freedom. Trump also signed an executive order thesame month that lets insurers sell short-term plans curtailed underObamacare that are cheaper and offer fewer benefits.

“He understands health care, he understands the regulatoryprocess, and he’s skilled in his management,” Leavitt said by phonelast month. Leavitt was involved in the Trump team’s transitioninto the White House but said he hadn’t been directly involved inthe vetting of Azar. “He’d be an able pilot.”

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